Saipan Sucks

Saipan Sucks

Saipan Sucks (SaipanSucks.com) is a politically and socially critical website about the United States's Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), particularly its principal island Saipan. The website seeks to call attention to what it sees as systemic societal corruption in the CNMI. It has been in existence since 2001 and has been reported in a variety of ways in local,Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14634
title=Website slurs Saipan: Internet site dissuades visitors, workers from coming
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 20, 2001
author=Jayvee L. Vallejera
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.mvariety.com/calendar/nov/16/localpage/lnews34.htm
title=Beautify CNMI! to counter ‘Saipan Sucks’ Web site
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Marianas Variety
year=Nov. 16, 2006|author=Emmanuel T. Erediano
format=HTML
] regional,Cite web
url=http://www.pacificislands.cc/news/2006/11/16/local-group-to-counter-critical-web-site
title=Local Group To Counter Critical Web Site
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Pacific Magazine
year=Nov. 16, 2006
author=Marianas Variety
format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/November/11-16-20.htm
title="Saipan Sucks" draws battle lines in CNMI
accessdate=2006-11-25
publisher=Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center (Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i)
year=Nov. 16, 2006
author=Emmanuel T. Erediano|work=Pacific Islands Report
format=HTML
] and internationalCite web|url=http://www.fyi-news.net/display.php?date=2006-05-21
title=Treatment of Women in Marianas a Total Disgrace
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=FYI News Service
date=May 21, 2006
author=Randi Bjornstad|format=HTML
] newsprint and magazine outlets, on ABC Radio Australia,Cite web
url=http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/m1328400.asx
title=CNMI: Campaigners say Saipan doesn't suck
accessdate=2006-11-28
publisher=ABC Radio Australia
year=Nov. 28, 2006
author=Bo Hill
format=streaming audio [ASX file]
] and Internet forumsCite web
url=http://web.archive.org/web/20041027162132/forums.saipan.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=99
title=saipansucks.com
accessdate=2006-11-25
publisher=Saipan.com (Wayback Archive)|year=Feb. 09, 2005
work=Forums.Saipan.Com
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.mymicronesia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=191&sid=f302d67e9b2349665a07afeebe20f873
title=What do you think about Saipan Sucks?
accessdate=2006-11-25
publisher=MyMicronesia
work=Forums
format=HTML
] and blogs,Cite web
url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/19/231242/474
title=Saipan Sucks
accessdate=2006-11-28
year=2005
work=Daily Kos
format=HTML
] including the personal blog of travel book author David Stanley.Cite web
url=http://www.southpacific.org/blog/2006/11/saipan-sucks.HTML
title=Saipan Sucks
accessdate=2006-11-25
publisher=SouthPacific.org
year=Nov. 16, 2006
author=David Stanley
work=South Pacific Travel Blog
format=HTML
] The website has been the subject of intense debate and scrutiny by the CNMI government, who has threatened to sue the website's author.Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14634
title=Website slurs Saipan: Internet site dissuades visitors, workers from coming
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 20, 2001
author=Jayvee L. Vallejera|work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14677
title='Saipan Sucks' author known . Gov't starts investigation to pin the person behind the online campaign against Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 24, 2001
author=John Ravelo
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
]

Content

"Saipan Sucks" seeks to call attention to what it sees as systemic societal problems in the CNMI that are supported by misuse of United States taxpayer money. Press outlets have quoted the following excerpt from the website:Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14634
title=Website slurs Saipan: Internet site dissuades visitors, workers from coming|accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 20, 2001
author=Jayvee L. Vallejera
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.mvariety.com/calendar/nov/16/localpage/lnews34.htm
title=Beautify CNMI! to counter ‘Saipan Sucks’ Web site|accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Marianas Variety|year=Nov. 16, 2006|author=Emmanuel T. Erediano |format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://www.pacificislands.cc/news/2006/11/16/local-group-to-counter-critical-web-site
title=Local Group To Counter Critical Web Site
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Pacific Magazine|date=May 21, 2006
author=Marianas Variety|format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/November/11-16-20.htm
title="Saipan Sucks" draws battle lines in CNMI
accessdate=2006-11-25|publisher=Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center ( Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i)
year=Nov. 16, 2006|author=Emmanuel T. Erediano|work=Pacific Islands Report|format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14677
title='Saipan Sucks' author known. Gov't starts investigation to pin the person behind the online campaign against Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 24, 2001
author=John Ravelo
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://saipansucks.com/about.htm
title=About Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-26|publisher=SaipanSucks.com
year=2002|work=Saipan Sucks
format=HTML
]

Nepotism rules on the islands. Fueled by money paid by American taxpayers and diverted to the far-off territory, politicians run for office primarily for the sake of being in a position to appoint their relatives to high-paying sinecures.
The website presents allegations of corruption, racism, nepotism, jury-rigging, worker exploitation, employment discrimination, and mismanagement of the CNMI tourism industry by local CNMI officials, and seeks to warn U.S. mainlanders about moving to the islands to accept employment offers.Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14634
title=Website slurs Saipan: Internet site dissuades visitors, workers from coming|accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 20, 2001
author=Jayvee L. Vallejera
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.mvariety.com/calendar/nov/16/localpage/lnews34.htm
title=Beautify CNMI! to counter ‘Saipan Sucks’ Web site|accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Marianas Variety|year=Nov. 16, 2006|author=Emmanuel T. Erediano |format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://www.pacificislands.cc/news/2006/11/16/local-group-to-counter-critical-web-site
title=Local Group To Counter Critical Web Site
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Pacific Magazine|date=May 21, 2006
author=Marianas Variety|format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/November/11-16-20.htm
title="Saipan Sucks" draws battle lines in CNMI
accessdate=2006-11-25|publisher=Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center ( Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i)
year=Nov. 16, 2006|author=Emmanuel T. Erediano|work=Pacific Islands Report|format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14677
title='Saipan Sucks' author known. Gov't starts investigation to pin the person behind the online campaign against Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 24, 2001
author=John Ravelo
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://saipansucks.com/about.htm
title=About Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-26|publisher=SaipanSucks.com
year=2002|work=Saipan Sucks
format=HTML
]

Criticism

Since July 2001, shortly after "Saipan Sucks" was published, CNMI government officials criticized the website's anonymity and characterized it as a "smear campaign". Stemming from its reported investigations, the CNMI government has threatened to sue the website's author for libel or defamation.Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14634
title=Website slurs Saipan: Internet site dissuades visitors, workers from coming
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 20, 2001
author=Jayvee L. Vallejera
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14677
title='Saipan Sucks' author known. Gov't starts investigation to pin the person behind the online campaign against Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 24, 2001
author=John Ravelo
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14741
title=Fitial defends CNMI from online 'bashers'
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 27, 2001
author=Tribune Staff
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] The website author's response to the CNMI government was to state that they have "apparently never heard of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution … Is it possible the investigators don't recognize political and social commentary when they see it?"Cite web|url=http://saipansucks.com/about.htm|title=About Saipan|accessdate=2006-11-26
publisher=SaipanSucks.com
year=2002
work=Saipan Sucks
format=HTML
]

In November 2006, a local environmental group, Beautify CNMI!, decried the website's high PageRank in search engines such as Google, and the fact that anyone who searches with the keyword "Saipan" could find the website in the top-ten search result positions. The group published a plan to counter the website's ranking through a campaign of linkspamming via Google bombing and text anchoring.Cite web
url=http://www.mvariety.com/calendar/nov/16/localpage/lnews34.htm
title=Beautify CNMI! to counter ‘Saipan Sucks’ Web site
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Marianas Variety
date=May 21, 2006
author=Emmanuel T. Erediano
format=HTML
] Cite web|url=http://www.pacificislands.cc/news/2006/11/16/local-group-to-counter-critical-web-site
title=Local Group To Counter Critical Web Site
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Pacific Magazine
date=May 21, 2006
author=Marianas Variety
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/November/11-16-20.htm
title="Saipan Sucks" draws battle lines in CNMI
accessdate=2006-11-25
publisher=Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center (Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i)
year=Nov. 16, 2006
author=Emmanuel T. Erediano
work=Pacific Islands Report
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/m1328400.asx
title=CNMI: Campaigners say Saipan doesn't suck
accessdate=2006-11-28
publisher=ABC Radio Australia
year=Nov. 28, 2006
author=Bo Hill
format=streaming audio [ASX file]
] Cite web
url=http://jetapplicant.blogspot.com/2006/05/lets-do-something-about-saipan-sucks.HTML
title=Let's Do Something About Saipan Sucks!
accessdate=2006-11-23
publisher=Angelo Villagomez
date=May 24, 2006
author=Angelo Villagomez
format=HTML |
Villagomez is Restoration Chairman of Beautify CNMI! [http://www.pacificislands.cc/news/2006/11/16/local-group-to-counter-critical-web-site] ]

All along, counter-critics who are either Chamorros (indigenous people of Saipan) or those otherwise knowledgeable about the CNMI have maintained that, although "Saipan Sucks" uses hyperbole as a literary device, much or most of what it states is true and should be heeded.Cite web|url=http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=4779841890975&lang=en-US&mkt=en-US&FORM=CVRE
title= Putting things in perspective
accessdate=2006-11-24
publisher=Beautify CNMI!
year=Nov. 16, 2006
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=3&newsID=14729
title=Letters to the Editor
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 27, 2001
author=Tribune Staff
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Cite web
url=http://marianastrenchant.com/links/pot-stirrers.HTML
title=Pot Stirrers
accessdate=2006-03-11
year=2006|author=Ken Phillips
work=Marianas Trenchant
format=HTML
]

Author

"Saipan Sucks" is written by a person or persons going by the pseudonym "Forgetabilia". Reported investigations carried out by the CNMI government in July 2001 led to an alleged belief about a real identity behind this persona.Cite web
url=http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=14677
title='Saipan Sucks' author known: Gov't starts investigation to pin the person behind the online campaign against Saipan
accessdate=2006-11-23
date=July 24, 2001
author=John Ravelo
work=Saipan Tribune
format=HTML
] Later, on November 16, 2006, a CNMI daily alleged that "Saipan Sucks" was written by a former CNMI Assistant Attorney General, who the daily reported as having "disliked his position" in the CNMI.Cite web
url=http://www.mvariety.com/calendar/nov/16/localpage/lnews34.htm
title=Beautify CNMI! to counter ‘Saipan Sucks’ Web site
accessdate=2006-11-23|publisher=Marianas Variety
year=Nov. 16, 2006
author=Emmanuel T. Erediano
format=HTML
] The same day, a regional publication denied the truthfulness of the daily's claim, reiterating that the author or authors remain anonymous.Cite web
url=http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2006/November/11-16-20.htm
title="Saipan Sucks" draws battle lines in CNMI
accessdate=2006-11-25
publisher=Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center (Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i)
year=Nov. 16, 2006
author=Pacific Islands Report
work=Pacific Islands Report|format=HTML
] "Saipan Sucks" closes by stating, "As for the authors of this essay, our days in Micronesia have ended … In all likelihood we shall remain happily for the rest of our days ensconced in anonymous Longnesia, suffering, with a little luck, from a selective am-nesia. Hence our name – Forgetabilia."Cite web|url=http://saipansucks.com/about.htm|title=About Saipan|accessdate=2006-11-26
publisher=SaipanSucks.com
year=2002
work=Saipan Sucks
format=HTML
]

See also

* Anonymity and politics
* Demographics of the Northern Mariana Islands
* Economy of the Northern Mariana Islands
* Garapan
* Micronesia
* Northern Mariana Islands Territory Constitution
* Northern Marianas College
* Politics of the Northern Mariana Islands
* United Nations Trust Territories

References

External links

* [http://www.saipansucks.com/ Saipan Sucks website]


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  • Saipan (disambiguation) — Saipan may relate to: * The Pacific island in the Mariana group ** Saipan, the island itself ** Saipan Sucks, the web site critical of the Mariana Island government * World War II and names of United States Navy warships ** Battle of Saipan, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Mariana Islands — This article is about the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For the Mariana Archipelago, see Mariana Islands. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas …   Wikipedia

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